HADLEY — A new library, zoning to allow tiny houses and the budget are on the warrant of the annual Town Meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Hopkins Academy gymnasium.
A cluster of articles, if passed, would recognize the work of the Goodwin Memorial Library Planning and Design Committee and allow library planning to progress to the next step.
And Article 29, which covers accessory apartments and backyard dwellings, would make Hadley the second community in Massachusetts to legalize so-called tiny houses. Nantucket became the first when it passed a bylaw at its annual Town Meeting April 2.
And with a number of town buildings in disrepair, the budget promises to be a hot topic during Town Meeting.
“We predicted we’d hit a time when revenues weren’t hitting expenses, and we’re now there,” said Select Board Chairwoman Molly Keegan Tuesday evening, adding that the budgetary wall the town has hit should prompt a very important conversation.
“That’s not going to take place at this Town Meeting, but I feel like we’re getting to a point where we’re framing the conversation — a lot of these building issues are tied in, because you want buildings to support the services being provided,” she said.
Final budgetary numbers will be available Wednesday, Keegan said.
Articles 17 and 18 pertain to plans for replacing the Goodwin Memorial Library, originally constructed in 1902. Article 17 would authorize library trustees to demolish the dilapidated Hooker School and use the site for a future library in the event funding is secured.
Article 18 would approve preliminary design plans for the library, allowing the Goodwin Memorial Library Board of Trustees to apply for state funds to defray as many costs as possible.
“We’re at the point in the planning and design process where we need the support of the town to apply for a building grant,” said Jo-Ann Konieczny, chairwoman of the trustees. “This is not committing the town for any money, it’s just saying we can apply.”
Konieczny said the library was built when there were only 1,500 people in Hadley and it’s not accessible for handicapped people.
“This is an exciting time for our town,” she said, adding that in recent years the library has seen over 15,000 visits per year and nearly 50,000 items in circulation. “And those numbers are increasing this year.”
Keegan said the articles would not be the final vote for the library — demolition would be a couple of years away and an additional Town Meeting vote would be necessary to spend town money.
Article 29, if passed, would add a zoning bylaw allowing backyard cottages, or “a self-contained unit incorporated within a single-family dwelling that is detached” from said single-family dwelling.
The proposed bylaw’s purpose is to “add to the variety of rental housing available,” and to serve those who “might otherwise have difficulty finding housing.”
The proposed legislation, brought forward by petition, would allow for the type of 190-square-foot structure Sarah Hastings has already built on the East Street property of Ron and Donna Adams. Hastings could be forced to leave her tiny home if the bylaw is not approved.
According to the article, a special building permit granted by the Planning Board would be required to build a backyard cottage, and only one would be permitted per property.
The floor plan of these units, the proposed bylaw states, shall not exceed 900 square feet, they must have a foundation and be designed to look like a conventional building. A backyard cottage may not be occupied by more than two people, it states.
“The discussion is going to be interesting,” said Planning Board member William Dwyer. “Some didn’t like the process, and others say, ‘Let’s discuss it on the merits.’”
Anyone who needs a ride to Town Meeting may contact the Council on Aging at 413-586-4023.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.